


Follow You Into the Dark

by Somewhere_overthe_Reylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assault, Automobile Fatality, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Smut, F/M, Force Visions, Gas Explosion, Ghost Walk, Hanging, Heavy Angst, Implied Character Death, Loneliness, Manufactured Scares, Mentions of Blood, Non-Traditional HEA, Not that kind of Force, Penis In Vagina Sex, Psychometry, Public Execution, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo endgame, Smuggling, Vaginal Fingering, beatings, cemetery sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:26:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27242662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somewhere_overthe_Reylo/pseuds/Somewhere_overthe_Reylo
Summary: A midnight ghost walk turns out to be much more than Rey Kenobi expected.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 20
Kudos: 23
Collections: Reylo Readers & Writers - The Spooktacular Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for Reylo Readers and Writers Spooktacular Collection. My prompt was midnight. I hope you enjoy it! I tried to add some factual history into the story but I definitely took liberties with the supernatural aspects!

‘As the clock strikes midnight, join us for a spooky stroll through one of Charleston’s most historic and haunted graveyards.’ The neon green font on the front of the brochure had jumped out at her from the front rack of trifolded advertisements that sat adjacent to the motel check in desk. 

Rey Kenobi was in Charleston for a conference. Resistance Publishing had put her up at a mid level motel and given her a generous stipend for meals and transportation. Since she had gotten used to living on next to nothing growing up, she usually managed to save enough to treat herself to a nice dinner and some kind of entertainment before she left. Traveling was a luxury that she hadn’t experienced before adulthood, so she made the most of every opportunity, even on her mundane work trips. She had a rule that she had to eat at least one meal of regional favorites at a local spot and do at least one fun and touristy thing every time she traveled. Since her conference was full of long boring days that ended after dark and wrapped up Friday evening, her choices of touristy attractions were slim. When she walked back through the hotel lobby, the rack of brochures caught her eye and she remembered the ghost walk advertisement that had caught her eye earlier at check in. She walked over and reached for the familiar acid green lettering. Tucking it into her bag, she headed to her room.

Ready to rid herself of the day, Rey kicked off her heels and started the shower. While the water warmed up, she pulled the pamphlet out of her bag and scanned over it. Nervous excitement surged through her as she read the enticing paragraph intended to sell people on buying a ticket for the midnight walk. She was already sold on it though, and had been since she grabbed the brochure. Rey had a gift - an affinity of sorts, for the past and seeing those things from a different angle. The thought of a midnight ghost walk both scared her and thrilled her, and why not end this mundane trip with a bang?

The steam from the bathroom started to escape through the cracked bathroom door. Rey hopped off the bed, shedding the rest of her business casual attire, and stepped into the bathtub shower. She let the hot water strip away all the stress of the day and invigorate her. The heat fed her soul. Growing up in the desert gave her a predilection for heat and it was comforting and soothing to her. 

She stood under the streaming water long enough it had started to cool. When she stepped out of the shower, the sky had darkened. She toweled off and picked a black tank top and soft pink maxi skirt to wear on her evening out. She quickly pulled her hair back into her casual three-bun style that she saved for after work, swiped on some mascara and lip gloss, and put on her chucks. The nights were warm, but the cool sea air had been giving her a chill the past few nights, so she grabbed her denim jacket and slung it over her bag and looped it over her shoulder. She pulled the door to her room closed, feeling in her purse pocket for the key and turning it to assure her it was locked.

The walk from her motel to the waterfront was short. She walked a few blocks, looking for a bar or restaurant that wasn’t already overflowing into the street. She settled on an empty seat at an oyster bar that had a Zydeco band playing on their back patio. The bar seat was perfect because she was close enough to hear the music and far enough away from it, that she could still hear herself think. She ordered a draft Abita Purple Haze and a basket of Peel and Eat shrimp. She sipped on her beer and scrolled through the work emails she had fallen behind on. Even though she had a very capable team back in Atlanta, she needed the reassurance that things were still thriving in her absence. She scrolled intently until her shrimp arrived, and then dug in with fervor. The creole seasoning caked onto her fingers from peeling the seasoned shells. Rey methodically peeled them, popped the tail off, and placed them on her tongue to savor. Seafood was another delicacy that she didn’t get to experience until adulthood. The extent of her seafood experience growing up in Jakku, was tuna in a can. 

The basket of shrimp disappeared quickly, as did her beer. She still had a lot of time before the ghost walk started, so she ordered one more beer and nursed it. Rey tucked her phone into her bag and glanced around the bar. People watching was an activity she enjoyed immensely. She played a game with herself, trying to guess the names and stories of the people around her. The guy seated to her left at the bar with the baby pink Lacoste Polo and Clemson ball cap, with a bill that was bent so the sides nearly touched in front of his eyes, was chatting up a blue-eyed brunette, whose body language and searching eyes told Rey she was wanting to be anywhere but there. Probably an unsuccessful Tinder date, she thought to herself. 

“Doin’ okay, darlin’?” The bartender picked up her sweating pint glass and wiped the accumulated moisture from beneath it. He set it back down in front of her and paused, waiting for a response. He tucked a blonde curl behind his ear and his green eyes sparkled. His teeth were  _ so _ white. All the little details were painting her a picture. All the attention he paid to his appearance conveyed a level of vanity that she could easily surmise how often he used his good looks and charm to really take advantage of this  _ perk _ of the job. 

“Yeah, just killing some time,” she replied, quickly picking up the glass to take a large swallow of beer. She pulled her phone out of her bag just far enough to see the time across the screen.  _ 10:45pm. _

“Oh? Big plans after this or...?” He was opening a door, that any other time, she would enthusiastically barge through, enjoying his company, and staying until her flight mode kicked in and she was sneaking out of an apartment at three in the morning and calling a Lyft. Not tonight, though. She felt excited, a  _ pull _ almost, that she needed to go on the ghost walk and visit the cemetery tonight. A force was calling her, pulling her closer, through the dark.

“Actually, I do. I’ll take my check when you have a minute,” she quipped between sips of beer. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and set the pint glass back down. She could feel the bubbles rise in her stomach from drinking too fast. The bartender turned his back to her, printed her check and slipped it in a folio, setting it down in front of her. He flashed a weak smile at her and walked to the other end of the bar.

Rey pulled out her wallet and put her AmEx in the torn clear plastic pouch at the top, facing back toward the bar. She glanced toward the bartender, willing him to look up and make eye contact with her, but he had a new target in his crosshairs - a red-headed pixie with delicate features and milky skin.

He ignored Rey for what felt like a lifetime, so with a huff, she snatched up the folio off the bar top. Rey stuffed her card back into her wallet and pulled out just enough cash to cover her bill and leave an okay tip. She wasn’t a total monster, even if he was a complete fuckwad. She pushed the folio down into the glass rail, so he wouldn’t miss it when he realized she had gone. She swung the bar stool around and climbed down, dodging bar patrons as she made her way to the door. Once she was out on the sidewalk, she pulled her phone out and typed in the address of the Ghost Walk. It started in an old livery stable opposite The Battery. The warm humid air felt like a gentle hug on her shoulders as she started down the sidewalk toward the seawall.

Thankful to be able to squeeze in another landmark visit on this trip, Rey casually walked along the sea wall, stopping to read some of the informational iron plaques that were set into the concrete. She stopped to listen to the sea on a bench at Waterfront Park. The steady cadence of the water against the sea wall was hypnotic. She stretched her legs out in front of her, the soft cotton of her skirt brushing the pavement. Her arms reached for the heavens, stretching the last bit of tension from her limbs. A shiver wracked her body and she pulled the jacket off of her bag, and she shrugged her arms into the sleeves pulling it around herself in an embrace. 

It really was a lovely night to be out walking. The moon wasn't quite full, but still shone bright in the sky above her. Behind the waterfront park, she could see another expanse of grass that housed an elegant, white gazebo surrounded by live oaks. Theirdark limbs, heavy with Spanish Moss, looked like they were reaching out for one another. She took a few steps onto the grass under one of the oaks and froze. Rey carefully backed onto the sidewalk, and turned down toward the seawall.  _ Death _ . She could feel it. Even though the informational plaques didn't memorialize it, she knew lives,  _ many lives _ , had been lost in this area. 

Rey continued onward toward her destination, past the stately homes that lined The Battery. They had stood for years, generations of people leaving their impressions in the walls, the floors, even the earth outside. She allowed herself to see flickers of the past as she passed the verandas, gardens, and walkways. Her gift of seeing bygone times, oftentimes from a first person perspective, was always interesting and sometimes even fun, but it was a curse as well. In addition to picturing the beauty and pageantry, she also saw the dark sides - the cold, cruelness that people inflicted upon themselves or each other that was usually omitted from the informational plaques. 

As she strolled along, she opened her mind. She could hear soft piano music and hearty laughter. Rey glanced over at the home she was passing and it was a grand white two story with columns lining the front porch. She could see the ladies in hoop skirts and wide brimmed hats tied under their chins on the arms of men with handlebar mustaches in linen suits walking up the cobblestone path to the front door. The windows were darkened so she knew it was all in her mind, but that didn’t stop the smell of mint julep from tickling her nose as she passed.

The next house was occupied. It was a tan three-story mansion with black wrought iron surrounding it. She felt nothing but warmth and love when she walked by and glanced up into the illuminated windows. Her gift showed mostly impressions of the past but she could read some emotion from living people and the spaces they occupy. The thoughts and feelings of love from the current family’s home were the most she would see and feel, and that was if she opened herself enough. Her gift showed only death and darkness in the beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey had discovered the gift when she was a girl. Her foster father, Luther Plutt, ran the salvage yard in Jakku and doled out food based on what she could pull off the wrecks that came in. The first time she felt it, she was taking an aftermarket stereo system out of a truck that had been in a rollover accident. The cab had been smashed so far down that even Plutt couldn't get in, so Rey being small and wiry, was tasked with getting what she could out of the cab. As soon as she pulled the faceplate off, she felt fear, panic, and sadness wash over her small frame and paralyze her on the bench seat. Plutt had found her sobbing and clutching the faceplate of the stereo in her small hands, rocking back and forth on the floorboard.

“He d-d-died d-didn’t he?” she sobbed. In her mind's eye, she could see a dark road through the windshield, a hand came up to wipe a tear away from the eye, but not her eye, and then the world turned upside down, over and over and over, until all she could see was the shattered glass tinged with blood, so much blood, but not her blood, and a sadness as the realization set in that life was slipping away, but not her life, but she still felt it as real as if it were.

The first time was the worst. Between the utter terror over what she saw and Plutt’s admonishment, she cried herself to sleep that night and the night after. A few days later, curiosity brought Rey back to the crushed truck and she gently placed her hands on the drivers side door handle. Loud, shouting voices echoed in her ears.  _ You never loved me! I hate you! You fucking cunt, how could you!  _ The metal clunk of a car door shutting, and then an engine revving high. Tires on gravel, and a loud  _ FUCK! _ Then, the dark road. Just as the hand raised to wipe the tear, she jerked her hands off the handle. Rey stood next to the truck, chest heaving as she looked down at her hands, not quite sure of what this meant for her.

As time passed, Rey learned that not everything she touched had a past like the truck did. Some things showed her moments of happiness and joy, some things only conveyed a feeling of warmth or coldness. She was a teenager when she realized that the gift was most pronounced in places and things that had a connection to death or the dead themselves. Things held by and spaces occupied by the living were either warm and peaceful or cold and numb. 

Rey knew her gift wasn't something she would be able to share with people. In fact, only one person knew: her high school art teacher, Mrs. Kanata, and that had been by accident. Rey had been in the supply room getting paint one afternoon and curiosity had gotten the better of her. A door on the far side of the room had always had a rack of shelves in front of it, but the rack was gone, leaving the door unobstructed, and begging to be opened. When her hand wrapped around the round brass knob she felt a gust of blistering air envelop her and the metal seared her palm. Rey let out a sharp cry and when Mrs. Kanata found her on her knees, hand still on the knob, her face was red like it had been sunburned. 

“Fire…” she whispered as tears rolled down her hot cheeks. Mrs. Kanata pulled her hand off the knob, knelt down and pulled Rey into her arms. “Child,how did you hear about that? Who told you?” Mrs. Kanata’s eyes were wide when she spoke. 

“No one...I saw it when I…” Rey choked out what she had seen when she touched the doorknob, the hot air on her face and the scorching metal in her hand. Mrs. Kanata didn’t say a word as she spoke, she just held Rey. 

After she had calmed down, Mrs. Kanata left, giving her a few minutes to collect herself before going back to her seat. She slipped back into class unnoticed, being a nobody  _ did _ have its advantages sometimes. Too flustered to work, she doodled on a piece of paper to pass the time. A few minutes before the bell rang, Mrs. Kanata slipped her a note.  _ See me after school, please. M. Kanata. _

The bell rang and class was dismissed. Rey fumbled through the rest of her day, shaky and unnerved. When school was over, she headed to the art room to see Mrs. Kanata as requested. “Rey, dear. Please, come sit down.” Mrs. Kanata ushered her to the table closest to her desk and stood, leaning against the front of the desk. 

“What happened in there?” Rey asked softly, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer. 

“Well dear, my first year of teaching, I shared the supply room with Charles Baca, the Chemistry teacher. His classroom was on the other side of that door. There was a gas leak...one of the lines that fed the bunsen burners. There was an explosion and Mr. Baca was badly injured. He passed away a few days after. It’s not something that people talk about anymore. Most of the students these days don't know about what happened. It was over 30 years ago.” Mrs. Kanata’s eyes were rimmed with tears.

“Oh...that-that’s what I saw then,” Rey looked down and picked away at the peeling laminate on the table. “It’s happened before. Seeing things...bad things.” She purposely avoided her teacher’s eyes, not knowing what to expect.  _ Will she think I’m crazy? Will they send me away? Will I get kicked out of school? _ Worst case scenarios rolled on a loop behind her eyes, as she dug the heels of her palms into them.

“Have you told your guardian about this, friends maybe? That’s an awful big burden to shoulder by yourself.” Mrs. Kanata spoke out of genuine concern when Rey shook her head no. “Rey, I know a little about things like this. My mother had a gift. Hers was a little different...she could see things before they happened. She had to learn to control it to an extent, or it would have ruined her life...driven her crazy.”

That day at school was a turning point in Rey’s life. It had never even occurred to her that this was something that she could hope to control. She learned over time and through lots of trial and error, that if she mentally built walls in her mind, around her emotions, the force behind the gift would stay somewhat contained. Flashes of emotion and feelings rolled over her rather than reliving the memories themselves. Particularly agitative circumstances were the hardest to suppress, and took her extra time and strength to fortify herself against that kind of energy. As time passed, she learned that she could also get feelings from the objects and places owned and occupied by the living, but it was very faint and usually just a vague emotion or a feeling of warmth or cold.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight in Charleston, pairs and small groups of people milled around on the sidewalk in front of the livery when Rey arrived. She was used to being alone in these situations. Single rider. Table for one. She was used to the pity and sympathy stares. It was something she had grown used to. Friends had always been more about quality, than quantity for her. She had kept in touch with a few people since college, but they were all scattered in opposite corners of the country with their careers, so those relationships were limited to a birthday or holiday text and a random phone call once or twice a year. Romantic relationships had always been hard for her. Opening up to people had always been difficult and trust wasn’t something she gave easily. Besides, most people disappointed her before they reached that point. 

Rey hovered on the fringe of the group and let the walls down for a minute, gauging the mood of the people she would be walking with. The couples were warm with a tinge of nervous excitement that read to her like spearmint would taste on your tongue, cool with a bite of fire. One group of men, boys really, gave off very cold vibes and a metallic taste she needed to rid her mouth of immediately.  _ Trouble, _ she thought to herself and she made a mental note to steer clear of them.

“Come one, come alllll! Join me tonight as we prowl the streets of Charleston and mingle with some of our most famous,  _ and infamous,  _ apparitions!” The tour guide bellowed out over the crowd from the steps of the livery. The door swung open and a line formed to enter and purchase tickets. Rey hung back, letting the bulk of the group jockey for position, she was in no hurry.

After all the tickets had been purchased, their guide, Toby, went over a few things. “Gather ‘round! You won’t want to miss this...your life might… _ depend  _ on it!” Toby was obviously very good at his job, inflecting the drama into his little spiel at just the right moments to set the mood and get the crowd on edge with anticipation and suspense. “ _ TONIGHT _ ...we walk the historic streets of Charleston at the midnight hour. An hour, in which the veil between worlds is at its thinnest! Charleston wasn’t always the beautiful and welcoming city you see nowadays. She has a dark past,  _ secrets _ ...if you look closely, you might see or even  _ hear _ them!”

The murmurs through the crowd made Rey chuckle.  _ If they only knew, _ she thought to herself.  _ Be careful what you wish for. _ She had her walls in place, looking forward to testing her own limits. It had been years since she had done anything like this. She was confident that she could harness the force well enough to enjoy the history of the city and indulge in a little bit of a scare.

Rey was grateful that Toby was tall and had a very strong voice that projected over most of the heads in front of her. She brought up the rear of the group as they strolled down the street to their final destination, St. Luke’s. 

She wasn’t so far behind that she missed some of the spooks that were planted along their route. They passed a darkened alcove where they could hear a very faint melody, and as the middle of the group passed, the iron gate at the far end rattled violently, sending several people off the sidewalk and running into each other. When they walked past a darkened storefront, shadowed hands pounded on the glass window, shrieks rising up from the group. Nervous laughter lingered in the air as they continued down the sidewalk.

Now that everyone had been sufficiently edged to the point of yelping at the smallest noise, Toby started in with the historical horrors. “The park to your right might look like a lovely and tranquil patch of earth amidst the busy city, but for almost a century from the mid 1700’s to early 1800’s, it served as the town square where public executions took place. If you listen closely, you might hear the screams of those who died.” 

Not wanting to be inundated with the dark energy she could feel rolling out of the park, Rey moved to the far side of the pathway. She tripped over a heave in the pavement and stumbled into the street. The bright lights of a passing car flashed across her field of vision and her concentration broke; her walls crashed down. Her ears rang with wails, cheers, and a woman’s strong voice yelling out,  _ “If you have a message you want to send to Hell, give it to me; I’ll carry it,”  _ followed by a collective gasp from a crowd and a vision of a dark-haired woman standing on the gallows, jumping before the hangman could do his duty. 

Her eyes wide, she stopped against the nearest tree and caught her breath. The crowd kept moving at a slow clip away from her and she knew it was a real memory and not a man-made fear trap that anyone else saw. Carefully she fortified her barriers, hoping to make it through the rest of the tour without another slip up. Rey broke out in a light sweat, as regret washed over her.  _ This was a huge mistake. _ She could be,  _ should be,  _ she thought, getting dicked down by the bartender from earlier; instead she was going to exhaust herself trying to keep from losing her mind on this damn ghost adventure. This was the longest she had ever had to keep her walls up, and definitely the most effort she had put in to keep them strong. She decided she would pass by the bar on her way back to her hotel. A drink and even a mediocre fuck would help her unwind after this.

Toby kept the group moving along, enthusiastically sharing while they walked. “Fun fact...the largest public execution in Charleston was a mass hanging of pirates. Fifty-one pirates were put to death and buried just off The Battery in the fall of 1718. Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, was the most noteworthy of the group. White Point Park was built near the site of the execution, and still stands adjacent to The Battery. The bodies,” he paused and chuckled. “No one really knows what happened to them. It was said that they had been buried in the sand at low tide and the rising tide pulled them out to sea. But it's also been said that the bodies were left hanging along the gallows, which was customary of that time period, to send a strong message to any would-be pirates coming into the harbor. No one knows for sure.”

_ The park with the Gazebo! _ Rey thought as she continued down the sidewalk flanking the main group. Two couples had joined her at the rear of the group. Two of the young men from earlier looked absolutely up to no good, but Rey was unable to pick up any hint of their intentions with her walls firm and secure. Another couple, a middle-aged man and a woman who looked maybe ten years younger than him, walked close, stealing kisses from each other and laughing softly. A pang of loneliness was the only feeling she felt as her eyes lingered on them a little too long.

Toby stopped the group where a tall, black iron fence separated the group from a graveyard. “We have arrived at St. Luke’s!  _ This _ is St. Luke’s Cemetery, as opposed to  _ that _ ,” he gestured down the block and across the street at an identical iron fence, “which is St. Luke’s Graveyard. Does anyone know the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? I’ll tell you! Graveyards are usually attached to a church and cemeteries are not. Only native-born Charlestonians are permitted to be buried in St. Luke’s Graveyard. St. Luke’s Cemetery is home to the people who had the fortune of dying in Charleston and the misfortune of not being born here.” 

Rey’s eyes moved over the stone monuments, curious about those inside. She wondered if she would see anything by touching the cold granite markers. The graveyard was large, the fence extended almost a whole block and was nearly that deep. 

The shadows moved in a dark corner of her periphery. At first, Rey thought her tired eyes were surely playing tricks on her, but the silhouette of a person emerged from the dark. A very large person, she guessed, by the length of their stride and mist they displaced. They moved down the length of the fence line in her direction. The tour group was crossing the street to the graveyard at St. Luke’s on the side attached to the chapel. They were far enough ahead of her that no one noticed her missing from their ranks. 

She slowed her pace, curious about the person. A man, she could now tell. A very tall man, in a black suit with shoulder length black hair. His pale skin nearly glowed under the moonlight. He was an ethereal vision, like Hades rising from the mist.

He slowed as he approached the fence where she stood now, wide-eyed and mouth agape. He was a handsome man with strong features. His dark eyes danced as they searched hers. Rey didn't feel threatened or danger of any kind, even after his lips twisted up into a broad grin and he let out a maniacal laugh.

The sidewalk was a good foot and a half lower than the elevation of the graveyard, so he towered over her, his shadow blocking out the ambient light. Her eyes quickly adjusted and she noticed the clothing he was wearing wasn't modern. His pinstriped suit looked like it was high-quality and specially tailored to fit his massive frame. He looked like a well-off bloke from yesteryear, especially sporting the gold chain she assumed led to a pocket watch tucked in his vest pocket.

“You  _ see _ me!” It was more of a statement than a question and his deep baritone voice lingered in the air alongside the wisps of fog that hovered around the headstones. 

“Oh shit! Are you hiding?” she asked. Rey still wasn't sure who he was or why he was inside the graveyard. Unless... “Are you part of this?” she quipped, gesticulating with her hands. “Were you supposed to do something as we walked by? Did I ruin your surprise?”

He just shook his head and laughed, “Never, Dear Sweeting...Never could you ruin anything. Join me?  _ Please? _ ” Curiously, he held a hand out toward her even though the wrought iron fence separated them. Rey cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at the strange gesture.

Once her eyes adjusted to the shadows, Rey could see that he was quite handsome in a roguish way. His dark, solemn eyes sized her up with an intensity that stoked the low burning fire inside her. 

“Just for a spell, Love,” he implored her. 

“Um, okay...I can always catch up with the group, I suppose.” It's not like this was the first questionable guy she had ever gone off with, and besides, it was her last night in Charleston and she didn’t have anywhere to be until late tomorrow morning when she needed to catch her flight. She could stay up and out all night if she wanted. The man walked along the fenceline next to her while she walked toward the entrance. “What’s your name? And you never did answer me, are you part of the ghost walk?” 

“Ben. My name is Ben. I’m just...I can’t believe you saw me! No one has...in a very long time.” Ben chuckled softly, his long strides slowing to keep with her pace. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! This isn't a feel good ending so please feel free to skip ahead to the end notes for the warnings. I feel like this is a happy ending, just not a traditional one.
> 
> Thank you to LexiRayne2187 for the beta and sensitivity read <3

“Are you having an off night? I’m sure you’re good at this, but you show yourself at some point right? Don’t beat yourself up, I don't think anyone else saw you.” Rey smiled and glanced through the fence at him, even in the glow of the streetlights she could see a blush kissing the apples of his cheeks.

Rey rounded the corner and climbed the steps into the graveyard where Ben stood waiting for her. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t realize he didn’t give off any kind of energy until she was within arms reach. She stopped herself short, half tempted to drop her defenses for a minute to feel him out, but thought better of it since she was standing amidst the dead and during a time when the veil was thinnest.

“Hi,” she said in a breathy voice once she was toe-to-toe with him and he answered her with a formal bow. They regarded each other for a moment before either spoke again. When he flashed a wide crooked toothed smile at her, she beamed right back, but eventually looked down at her toes poking out from under her skirt. She wasn’t going to get lost in a pair of pretty eyes tonight...was she? Fuck it, she thought.

“It's not fair that you can call me by name, but I can’t do the same of you.” Rey noticed that his voice didn't carry the thick drawl that most people in Charleston had.

“I’m Rey,” she murmured and coyly gazed up at him. Ben tenderly reached for her hand and bent down to place a kiss on the back of it.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Rey. Pardon me, but I feel as though our paths may have crossed before?” He played the part of an old-fashioned Southern gentleman very well, she thought. It was curious that he kept it up with her when he really didn’t have to.

“I don’t live here. I’m just visiting. You’re not a native either, are you?” she asked, with a quirk of her head.

“No Ma’am. I was born in Boston, but came down with my father just after the turn to help him with his business.”

“What do you do, besides this? This has got to be a fun side gig,” she admitted. Fun for anyone without the gift of seeing death everywhere, she thought.

“This is all I do these days,” his face fell slightly, he sounded wistful, as if he missed whatever it was he used to do.

“Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry. Did his business go under? I know the economy isn’t great at the moment. Hopefully, he found something else?”

“Went under...you could say that. My father passed a long time ago,” he explained. Rey cringed at her uncanny ability to stick her foot in her mouth. Discomfort showed on her face and she looked down, but Ben spoke up. “Miss Rey, please, you didn’t know. You couldn’t have known. Please dont feel bad. I don’t mind talking about it.”

“Please, we can talk about something else, anything else,” she pleaded. “I barely know anything about you, besides your name and your father…”

“Yes Ma’am. What would you like to know?” Ben relaxed and the broad smile returned.

“I don’t know...What’s your favorite food? What do you do for fun? Do you have a girlfriend...or wife?” Rey looked hopefully up at him through her lashes and flushed when his deep laugh filled the air between them.

“My mother’s seafood chowder is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Fun isn’t something I’ve ever really partaken in, but I did enjoy playing the piano when I was a boy. My mother loved to sing while I played, and I often played while she entertained guests. As for your last question...I haven’t been in the company of a woman since I was in Boston.” His eyes were wide and sincere and Rey knew it was the truth.

“I find that hard to believe, you being the charmer that you are.” Rey teased him, playfully poking him in the chest, eliciting another laugh from Ben.

“Mayhaps I’ve just been waiting for you?” Ben smiled and bent toward her, his lips hovering next to her ear. “May I kiss you, Miss Rey?” he pressed in a low gravelly voice.

“Please, Sir,” she whimpered. “I would like that very much.”

Before she knew it, Ben’s hands, warm and tender, cupped her face. He hesitated briefly and Rey could feel his nervousness, the first thing she had felt from him all night, so she closed her eyes, hoping he would continue.

Soft lips slanted over hers and she leaned in to deepen the kiss. Ben’s gentle hands hardened and he growled as his tongue breached her lips. Rey countered with her teeth, nipping and sucking his lower lip into her mouth.

Her fingers tangled in his impossibly soft hair that smelled of cedar and smoke. Rey moved closer into him as they continued to devour each other. The thin cotton of her skirt was no match for the hard outline of his cock straining against his trousers, and she felt the hard length rub against her belly. She involuntarily clenched her thighs together, realizing that her underwear was soaked already.

Ben’s eager hands roamed over her, moving under her jacket and across her chest. His large thumb brushed over her breast, before bringing her nipple to a stiff pebble between his thumb and forefinger.

Rey moaned into his mouth and pressed herself against him, her hands exploring the hard planes of his chest and strong arms. One hand snaked around to grab his backside and the other rubbed the twitching length under the pinstriped wool.

“Jesus Rey,” Ben hissed as he pumped his hips into her hand. His body was bent over her and his hands kneaded the soft cotton over her ass.

“Maybe we should...Is there anywhere...a little more...private?” she asked between kisses.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he whispered against her lips. Ben grabbed her hand and led her a few yards into the shadows between two mausoleums. “Will this suffice?” He pressed her up against the cool stone wall, pinning her hands on either side of her head. She could only nod and grind her hips against him.

Ben’s hands slid her bag down and off her shoulder and then carefully tugged her jacket over her shoulders and off. It fell to the ground at her feet.

“I’m clean and I have an IUD,” she blurted out while Ben licked and sucked a trail down her neck to her collarbone, pulling the strap of her tank top down so he could kiss her breast.

“Miss Rey, I…” Before Ben could respond, Rey worked a hand free and anchored it in his thick hair, pulling him into a deep kiss. She laced the fingers of her free hand through his and pushed his hand down through the waistband of her skirt, under the thin lace of her panties, and moved his thick fingers right where she wanted them to be—the pad of his index finger firmly on her clit, slow circles, showing him just what she liked. She pulled her underwear down, moving around Ben’s hand, and then kicking them off into the grass.

Ben let out a low growl and with his free hand roughly pulled her skirt down so it pooled around her feet. He hitched her leg up, wrapping it around his hip. He slipped a thick digit through her soft, wet folds, pushing in to the knuckle and pulling out slowly, tracing the delicate opening, up to the bundle of nerves that was begging for attention. He slipped a second digit in and felt her tighten around him.

Rey moaned into his mouth and Ben moved his hand from her cunt, unbuttoned his trousers and with hands under her knees, he lifted both her legs around his waist. His thick cock sprung free when his trousers fell to the ground. Rey ran her fingers over the velvety hard flesh and gave it a few long strokes before guiding it to her entrance.

Ben pressed his forehead against hers, an unspoken question answered by her subtle nod. He slowly pressed his cock in, giving her time to adjust to his size. “More,” she whispered and Ben lost control, thrusting up hard until he was fully sheathed inside her. Rey gasped, and blew out a long breath, willing herself to relax around the intrusion. The fullness of him inside her made her lose her ability to form words, luckily it seemed he could read her mind and he pulled almost all of the way out and snapped his hips sharply.

The granite against her back was cool against her shoulders, and an exquisite contrast to the heat building inside of her. Ben was pounding into her at a steady pace and grunting into her neck with each thrust. His Herculean body so strong, it seemed effortless for him to hold her up and fuck her hard at the same time. “ You’re beautiful...So perfect...You’re mine...Imma ruin you for any other man...Need you...to...Be with me.”

Ben’s words sent a shiver through her. Never had she been fucked so thoroughly and yet so considerately at the same time. He was like no one else she had been with before. He was a generous lover with a roughness about him that was tender-hearted at the same time and she wanted more of it, all of it.

Ben pushed her closer and closer to the edge, hitting the spot deep inside that eluded most other men and thumbing her clit with just the right amount of pressure. Rey felt the muscles of his back tense and she knew he was close as well. “Come with me,” she spoke in a smooth honeyed voice as she delved into the blown out dark of his eyes.

Rey felt the wave coming and let it overtake her. Her orgasm was a tsunami that wracked her body with bliss and tore down the walls in her mind. Even though her eyes were shut tightly, she could see flashes...

Black hair whips around her face and she looks out into a mob of people—coarse sisal rope cuts into her neck—blind rage and fire—the metallic smell of blood and smoke—hands covered in crimson—knuckles split and swollen—bodies, battered and bloody floating in the surf.

She opened her eyes, Ben was staring down at her a cloud of concern hung over him. He kissed her gently and lowered her onto the grass. He pulled his trousers up, fastened them, and joined her sitting against the stone structure.

“Ben...you-” she choked out, her mind still reeling over the vision. Through her tears, his eyes searched hers, full of hope and yearning.

“Sweetheart, please. No tears for me. What’s done is done and I have no regrets.”

“Ben, I’m so sorry I had no idea when I said that about your father…” He brought a finger to her lips to stop her.

“There is no need to apologize, Love. No need at all. My past is long dead. My present, however...I’ve been alone for so long, but now...now, you’re here.”

“You’re not alone,” she whispered. She pulled herself into his lap and buried her face in his shoulder.

“Neither are you, not anymore,” his voice was gravelly with raw emotion and he tenderly stroked the soft skin on her arm. “You’ve known loneliness like I have, I can feel it.”

“I have...I can see things. People don't understand and I can feel things about them...I don’t want to. I wish I could turn it off. You’re the first person I haven't felt anything from...in so long. It’s been so nice.”

“But you could see things from my life...I could see that with mine own eyes somehow...I could feel you in my head.”

“I have to build walls up in my mind and hold them, but when we...when I...I let them all down. I could only see pieces. Will you tell me? I want to know what happened to you.”

“It’s not fit for delicate ears, Miss Rey,” his voice dropped along with his eyes.

“Fuck my delicate ears!” she choked out. “I’ve already seen it, Ben.”

Rey grabbed Ben’s hands and held them tight, opening her mind, seeking rather than just receiving—taking what she wanted, for once in her life.

Tangy sea air fills her lungs and her large hands pull on a thick, coarse rope in the light of the full moon. The boat gently lists as they approach the shore. “This will be our last run for a while, Kid. We should get back up to Boston and see your mother...Sail up the coast before winter sets in,” she hears in a gravelly voice before he’s interrupted by angry shouts from the shore. “Han Solo? Is that you, you hedge-born smuggler scum?” she hears from a distance. “The Hutt’s?” she asks in a voice much deeper than her own that she recognizes as Ben’s. She looks into the face of a man who looks like Ben, but older, and he just solemnly nods.

“Noooooo!” a man’s voice pierces the night just before she sees a muzzle flash and hears the crack of a flintlock pistol. She turns and sees him—hears him utter a breathy “Son,” just as he knocks her down and she falls on her belly in the sand. She watches the red bloom of the gun shot spread across his wet shirt as she crawls over to him. “Ben...Ben...Ben…” he mutters as he grips a handful of her shirt. He goes quiet and she watches the light in his eyes dim into dark.

Everything is red from the blood running down the gash on her forehead. Heat from the fire, combined with unchecked rage, fuel the raw strength needed for her hands to pummel and pound flesh. The words HMS Falcon are blackened by the flames licking up the side of the burning boat anchored in the shallows. Several bodies float face down in the surf, coloring the seafoam pink as it laps against her water-heavy woolen pants.

The black hair was whipping across her face once again, and she could feel the rope dig into the skin of her neck. “MOTHER!” echoed in her ears in a deep sorrowful voice, as she looked into a pair of dark ember eyes and she knew they matched the ones she looked through. The woman in her heavy woolen frock and shawl, simply nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned, retreating through the crowd and Rey felt Ben’s heart break, just as sure as it was her own. She closed her eyes tightly, blinking back tears. Her eyes opened and her gaze fell on a pair of familiar hazel eyes, skin dusted with freckles, and lips moving in a chant. She wouldn't have been able to hear the words over the din of the crowd even if they were being utter any louder than a whisper. But just before the air was sucked from her lungs and she gasped her dying breaths, she heard her own voice like a cadence in her mind, “Be with me..Be with me...Be with me…” Her own hazel eyes, the last thing she saw before the world went black.

Rey let out the breath she had been holding and held onto Ben like he was a liferaft. Suddenly overcome with emotion and exhaustion, she let go and sobbed into his chest. Ben rocked her and smoothed the loose pieces of hair away from her face, only stopping occasionally to wipe her tears away.

“My Darling, I would have told you everything. I wish you wouldn’t have…I would have told you,” he murmured against her cheek. “I’m sorry you had to see all of that.”

“I’m not. I’m glad I saw it. Did you know? You said earlier that you thought our paths had crossed...Did you remember?”

“No...not until just now, until I saw it all again...saw you again,” he uttered. “Your eyes...I didn’t know. My mother always said if you live long enough you’ll see the same eyes in different people, I guess that’s somewhat true in death as well.”

Rey felt herself melt further into his arms. He was so warm, even though he shouldn’t be...Or should he? Nothing made sense to her and she couldn’t care less. After spending her lifetime building walls to shut out feelings and dodging touch, she relished being around Ben, letting herself truly let go—being able to let all her walls down.

“What now? I have to leave in the morning. Go back home, back to work.”

Solemnly, Ben nodded and he held her tighter to his chest, if trying to wring every drop of her essence out that could before she left him. She could feel his breath stutter like he was choking back a sob.

“You can’t leave can you?” she laughed sadly. “Of course not, or you probably would have left a long time ago.”

“I’m bound here unfortunately,” Ben explained. “Since I died here and my bones are interred here, I cannot leave the city. I can’t wander further than the sea. I’ve tried and everytime I go too far, I’m snapped right back here.”

“I can't bear to think about going back to Atlanta and leaving you. It’s like you’re a part of me and I’m a part of you. I feel like I wouldn't survive without you now that I’ve found you,” she sobbed.

Cuddled up in Ben’s arms, Rey fell asleep and didn’t dream for the first time in a long time.

Rey woke when the sunlight broke through the canopy of leaves above her. She was pleasantly surprised to find her head still in Ben’s lap, his hand on her back. He was still resting back against the wall, his eyes closed and chest rising softly.

Rey felt rested and full of peace—gone was the anxiety and sadness over leaving Charleston and never seeing Ben again. She pushed those thoughts down, not wanting to deal with them. She had plenty of time for that on the walk back to her hotel, the plane ride back to Atlanta, maybe even the rest of her life.

Ben looked brilliant in the sunlight. His pale skin looked warm and flushed and Rey almost expected him to fade away in the daylight, but she reached up and touched his cheek and it was firm and warm under her touch. He looked more alive than ever in the morning light.

“‘Mornin’ Beautiful,” he smirked before opening his eyes.

“Good Morning to you,” she responded just before sitting up and leaning in to kiss the smirk off his face.

“Should we get out of here?” he asked, standing up. He reached for her hand and pulled her up.

Before she could answer, Rey was on her feet, hand in hand with Ben walking toward an ornate above ground tomb with Solo across the front in an Old English script.

“Wait, Ben…” Rey pulled him to a stop and turned back. She didn't have her coat or her purse and she would need them to fly...

She was laying in the grass next to the mausoleum, her jacket bunched up under her head as a pillow, looking so peaceful. Her eyes were closed and her lips were drawn into a subtle smile.

Rey watched for a moment, looking for any signs of life, but she found none. Her lips were light blue and her normally tan skin looked pallid. Purple lividity marks looked like bruises on her arm and under her eyes.

Ben squeezed her hand gently. She turned back toward him and squeezed his hand, firm and sure.

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Rey dies and leaves her body behind and walks off with Ben. Her death is ambiguous and not detailed aside from her viewing her post-mortem body as a ghost.
> 
> Sorry if this hurts, but also not sorry. I feel they got their HEA even though its not as living humans.
> 
> Thank you for reading! If you liked it please let me know! I am always happy to hear your thoughts! Kudos and comments are life so please feed me <3 Also if you feel this wasn't tagged properly, PLEASE let me know. I am happy to tag correctly.

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on a ghost walk I did in Charleston about 15 years ago. It was so much fun and I highly recommend going on one if you can! The second chapter is nearly complete and will be posting soon and the tags will be updated! The smut is coming and so is a dark HEA. Everything will be tagged though! If I missed any tags, please let me know! I will gladly update them!
> 
> The woman who was hung in the story is Lavinia Fisher, the first female serial killer in the US. She did die in Charleston and did say that just prior to her death. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I thrive on kudos and comments so if you liked this or even thought it’s ridiculous, I’d love to hear about it!


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